In a conventional sprinkler system for fire protection, thermally operated sprinkler nozzles are spaced along a pressurized water main located at an elevated position within the area to be protected. The main and associated sprinkler nozzles are fixed and a sufficient number of mains and nozzles are uniformly spaced above the area to be protected to cover the desired floor space.
In warehouses and other storage areas, it is now known to utilize movable storage cabinets, racks and similar storage members wherein the storage members are mounted upon wheels or tracks as to be horizontally movable with respect to each other eliminating the need for aisle space between adjacent storage members. The use of such movable storage members substantially increases the storage capacity of a given area as compared to conventional systems requiring aisles between adjacent racks.
Under conditions wherein inflammable and dangerous materials are stored upon storage racks, local fire safety codes often require that fire protection sprinkler systems be directly associated with the racks, and be located at each storage level therein. With a fixed storage rack, this fire protection requirement is easily met by plumbing sprinkler nozzles into the racks through fixed distribution conduits communicating with the sprinkler main. However, wherein movable storage racks are employed, difficulty has been experienced in meeting fire protection requirements.
With a movable storage member having a built-in sprinkler system, a flexible conduit system must be employed to permit the member to be moved. If flexible hose is employed to interconnect the sprinkler main with the storage rack distribution conduit, the handling of the hose becomes a problem. Movable storage racks may move twelve or fifteen feet between "closed" and "open" positions, and when the racks are "closed" the excess flexible hose must be accommodated. Further, as flexible hose is not fire resistant to the extent of rigid metal conduits, it does not meet the codes of many localities for sprinkler systems.
It is an object of the invention to provide a flexible conduit system formed of rigid conduits wherein the system may be utilized with movable storage members and permit the members to be freely moved between "closed" and "open" positions without imposing any adverse effects upon the storage member.
A further object of the invention is to provide a flexible rigid conduit system for supplying water to a movable storage member wherein the conduits are interconnected by rotary joints, and the rotary joints are of the self-aligning type and accommodate misalignments and tolerance variations.
Yet another object of the invention is to provide a flexible rigid conduit system utilizing self-aligning rotary joints wherein the portion of the conduit system remote from fixed portions thereof is movably supported by a track and carriage member which does not interfere with the flexing of the system.
In the practice of the invention, a plurality of movable storage racks are displaceable with respect to each other and each includes a built-in sprinkler nozzle system receiving pressurized water from a fixed sprinkler main through a flexible conduit assembly. The flexible conduit assembly includes rotary joints mounted adjacent the sprinkler main and the storage rack distribution conduit, and these rotary joints each communicate with generally horizontally disposed conduits interconnected at a location spaced from the main by a third rotary joint.
The conduits form a flexible elbow joined at a location remote from the fixed portions of the conduit system, and as the rotary joints are preferably of the self-aligning type, an overhead movable support is associated with the third rotary joint to support the same and maintain the conduits in a relatively horizontal orientation. The support consists of a track having a carriage movable therein, and the track does not distract from the free operation and adjustability of the conduit system.